Topic: NSW Storms: 7-8 January 2009

[Michael Bath]

Looking at the morning soundings it didn't look like much would develop today. However moisture above the boundary layer certainly improved and convection seemed to have kicked off in the Sydney basin and elsewhere around the 750hPa level. The lapse rates are quite impressive.

Sydney 04z

Some hail was reported earlier at Rouse Hill though no size was given.

It was great the rainfall from the storms managed to miss the SCG with an exciting finish to the test match a short while ago.

[Dave Nelson]

 Storms - Sydney 7th Jan

 Hi all ....  a good storm passed over the Baulkham Hills region of NW Sydney this afternoon
It started out over the Penrith area a nd gathered strength as it passed over the Hills area and on towards
Hornsby.  It then started to break up as it passed out over the Hawkesbury - Ku-ring-gai area.

Very heavy rain was experienced and minor hail where we were just on the edge of the core in the Hills area.
We then backtracked and chased up onto the F3 before giving up when the storm passed over into no-man's
land

 Earlier on the storm had a really nice updraught and rain-free base with the rain falling further upwind to the
NE, this changed to rain falling from the whole cell.

Cheers
Dave N


Michael,   ... as a side line... how would you like to take one of those soundings and dissect it for us mortals,  say,  even
 the one above  (in a separate topic area of the forum ... of course   
  I'm sure I'm not the only one that doesnt really understand what I'm looking at.
Take each wiggely vertical line and explain what is happening at different levels and how that affects the possibility of
storm development,  how do I identify a CAP,  etc

[Jimmy Deguara]

Michael and Dave,

I was not home but Imelda and Kimberly reported pea sized hailstones here at Schofields from the same storm! Worst luck! Anyway, I got home there was clear evidence of large drops of rain patterns in the soil.

Regards,

Jimmy Deguara

[David C]

The flight I was on landed in Sydney at around 5:45 in the evening, and we flew around the southern edge of these storms probably at around 5:20pm or thereabouts. Not the most exciting convection that I have viewed from the air, although the complex did lay out a nice outflow boundary.


eg